Alexander Severus
Encyclopedia
Severus Alexander was Roman Emperor
from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty
. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus
upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century
— nearly fifty years of civil wars, foreign invasion, and collapse of the monetary economy.
Alexander was the heir apparent
to his cousin, the eighteen-year-old Emperor who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards, who, as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and powerful Julia Maesa
, who had arranged for Elagabalus' acclamation as emperor by the famed Third Gallic Legion
. It was the rumor of Alexander's death that triggered the assassination of Elagabalus.
As emperor, Alexander's peace time reign was prosperous. In military conflict against the rising Sassanid Empire
, there are mixed accounts, though the Sassanid threat was checked; however, when campaigning against Germanic tribes of Germania
, Alexander apparently alienated his legions by engaging in diplomacy and bribery, and they assassinated him.
on 1 October, 208, with the name Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus. Alexander's father, Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus
was a Syrian Promagistrate
. His mother Julia Avita Mamaea
was the second daughter of Julia Maesa
and Syrian noble Julius Avitus
and maternal aunt of Emperor Elagabalus
. He had an elder sister called Theoclia and little is known about her. Alexander's maternal great-aunt was empress Julia Domna
(also Maesa's younger sister) and his great-uncle in marriage was emperor Lucius Septimius Severus
. Emperors Caracalla
and Publius Septimius Geta
, were his mother's maternal cousins. In 221, Alexander's grandmother, Maesa, persuaded the Emperor to adopt his cousin as successor and make him Caesar
and Bassianus changed his name to Alexander. In the following year, on March 11, Elagabalus was murdered, and Alexander was proclaimed emperor by the Praetorians
and accepted by the Senate.
When Alexander became emperor, he was young, amiable, well-meaning, and entirely under the dominion of his mother. Julia Mamaea was a woman of many virtues, and she surrounded the young emperor with wise counsellors, under the administration of the jurist and praetorian praefect Ulpian
. She watched over the development of her son's character and improved the tone of the administration. On the other hand, she was inordinately jealous. She arranged for Alexander to marry Sallustia Orbiana
, the daughter of a noble Patrician
family, but grew so jealous of Sallustia’s influence over her son that she had her banished from court. She also alienated the army by extreme parsimony, and neither she nor her son were strong enough to impose military discipline.
Mutinies became frequent in all parts of the Empire; in Rome, the Praetorian Guard
became infuriated by the actions of the praetorian praefect Ulpian
. A three day riot broke out in Rome between the people and the Praetorians, and it only ended with the death of Ulpian, who was hunted down and killed at the feet of the Emperor. Another mutiny forced the retirement of Cassius Dio from his command. In the provinces of the Empire, in Illyricum
, in Mauritania
, in Armenia
, in Mesopotamia and in Germania
, fresh mutinies perpetually broke out, as his officers were murdered and his authority was disregarded.
Alexander’s reign contained some of the last major building works constructed in Rome
before the reign of Diocletian. The last of the eleven great aqueducts, the aqua Alexandrina
, was put into service in 226; he also rebuilt the thermae Neronianae along side the Basilica Alexandrina in the Campus Martius
in the following year and gave them his own name.
. Of the war that followed there are various accounts. According to Herodian, the Roman armies suffered a number of humiliating setbacks and defeats, while according to the Historia Augusta as well as Alexander's own dispatch to the Roman Senate
, he gained great victories. Making Antioch
his base, he marched at the head of his troops towards Ctesiphon
, but a second army was destroyed by the Persians, and further losses were incurred by the retreating Romans in Armenia
. Nevertheless, although the Sassanids were checked for the time, the conduct of the Roman army showed an extraordinary lack of discipline. In 232 there was a mutiny in the Syrian legion, who proclaimed Taurinus
emperor. Alexander managed to suppress the uprising, and Taurinus drowned while attempting to flee across the Euphrates
. The emperor returned to Rome
and celebrated a triumph in 233.
The following year he was called to face German invaders in Gaul
, who had breached the Rhine frontier in several places, destroying forts and over-running the countryside. Alexander mustered his forces, bringing legions from the eastern provinces, and crossed the Rhine into Germany on a pontoon bridge. Initially on the advice of his mother, he attempted to buy the German tribes off, so as to gain time. Whether this was a wise policy or not, it caused the Roman legionaries to look down on their emperor as one who was prepared to commit unsoldierly conduct. Herodian
says "in their opinion Alexander showed no honourable intention to pursue the war and preferred a life of ease, when he should have marched out to punish the Germans for their previous insolence". These circumstances drove the army to look for a new leader. They chose Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus
, a Thracian soldier who had worked his way up through the ranks.
Following the nomination of Maximinus as emperor, Alexander was assassinated (on either March 18 or March 19, 235), together with his mother, in a mutiny of the Legio XXII Primigenia
at Moguntiacum
. These assassinations secured the throne for Maximinus
The death of Alexander is considered as the end of the Principate system established by Augustus
. Although the Principate continued in theory until the reign of Diocletian
, Severus Alexander's death signalled the beginning of the chaotic period known as the Crisis of the Third Century
which brought the empire to near collapse.
Alexander was the last of the Syrian emperors. Under the influence of his mother, he did much to improve the morals and condition of the people, and to enhance the dignity of the state. His advisers were men like the famous jurist Ulpian, the historian Cassius Dio and a select board of sixteen senators; a municipal council of fourteen assisted the urban prefect in administering the affairs of the fourteen districts of Rome. Excessive luxury and extravagance at the imperial court were diminished. Upon his accession he reduced the silver purity of the denarius from 46.5% to 43% — the actual silver weight dropping from 1.41 grams to 1.30 grams; however, in 229 he revalued the denarius, increasing the silver purity and weight to 45% and 1.46 grams respectively. The following year he decreased the amount of base metal in the denarius while adding more silver - raising the silver purity and weight again to 50.5% and 1.50 grams. Also during his reign taxes were lightened; literature, art and science were encouraged; the lot of the soldiers was improved; and, for the convenience of the people, loan offices were instituted for lending money at a moderate rate of interest.
In religious matters Alexander preserved an open mind. It is said that he was desirous of erecting a temple to Jesus
, but was dissuaded by the pagan priests. He allowed a synagogue
to be built in Rome, and he gave as a gift to this synagogue a scroll of the Torah
known as the Severus Scroll
.
, Augusta
, whom he married in 225. He divorced and exiled her in 227, after her father, Seius Sallustius
, was executed after being accused of attempting to assassinate the emperor. Another wife was Sulpicia Memmia. Her father was a man of consular rank; her grandfather's name was Catulus.
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty
Severan dynasty
The Severan dynasty was a Roman imperial dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. The dynasty was founded by the Roman general Septimius Severus, who rose to power during the civil war of 193, known as the Year of the Five Emperors....
. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus
Elagabalus
Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. A member of the Severan Dynasty, he was Syrian on his mother's side, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. Early in his youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa...
upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
— nearly fifty years of civil wars, foreign invasion, and collapse of the monetary economy.
Alexander was the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to his cousin, the eighteen-year-old Emperor who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards, who, as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and powerful Julia Maesa
Julia Maesa
Julia Maesa was a Roman citizen and daughter of Julius Bassianus, priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa in the Roman province of Syria...
, who had arranged for Elagabalus' acclamation as emperor by the famed Third Gallic Legion
Legio III Gallica
Legio tertia Gallica was a Roman legion levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey. The cognomen Gallica suggests that recruits were originally from the Gallic Roman provinces. The legion was still active in Egypt in the early 4th...
. It was the rumor of Alexander's death that triggered the assassination of Elagabalus.
As emperor, Alexander's peace time reign was prosperous. In military conflict against the rising Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
, there are mixed accounts, though the Sassanid threat was checked; however, when campaigning against Germanic tribes of Germania
Germania
Germania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
, Alexander apparently alienated his legions by engaging in diplomacy and bribery, and they assassinated him.
Early Reign
Alexander was born at Arca CaesareaArqa
Arqa is a village near Miniara in Akkar District of the North Governorate in Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast...
on 1 October, 208, with the name Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus. Alexander's father, Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus
Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus
Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus was a Syrian who lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. He originally came from Arca Caesarea . Marcianus' career had advanced to the Equestrian order and he became a Promagistrate....
was a Syrian Promagistrate
Promagistrate
A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the promagistracy was invented in order to provide Rome with governors of overseas territories instead of having to elect...
. His mother Julia Avita Mamaea
Julia Avita Mamaea
Julia Avita Mamaea was the second daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Roman woman of Syrian origin and Syrian noble Julius Avitus. She was a niece of empress Julia Domna and emperor Septimius Severus and sister of Julia Soaemias...
was the second daughter of Julia Maesa
Julia Maesa
Julia Maesa was a Roman citizen and daughter of Julius Bassianus, priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa in the Roman province of Syria...
and Syrian noble Julius Avitus
Julius Avitus
Julius Avitus or his full name Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus, was a Syrian noble that lived in the 2nd century and 3rd century CE. He was born in Emesa...
and maternal aunt of Emperor Elagabalus
Elagabalus
Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. A member of the Severan Dynasty, he was Syrian on his mother's side, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. Early in his youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa...
. He had an elder sister called Theoclia and little is known about her. Alexander's maternal great-aunt was empress Julia Domna
Julia Domna
Julia Domna was a member of the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire. Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and mother of Emperors Geta and Caracalla, Julia was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire.- Family background...
(also Maesa's younger sister) and his great-uncle in marriage was emperor Lucius Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
. Emperors Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
and Publius Septimius Geta
Publius Septimius Geta
Geta , was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus and his older brother Caracalla from 209 to his death.-Early life:Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus by his second wife Julia Domna...
, were his mother's maternal cousins. In 221, Alexander's grandmother, Maesa, persuaded the Emperor to adopt his cousin as successor and make him Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
and Bassianus changed his name to Alexander. In the following year, on March 11, Elagabalus was murdered, and Alexander was proclaimed emperor by the Praetorians
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
and accepted by the Senate.
When Alexander became emperor, he was young, amiable, well-meaning, and entirely under the dominion of his mother. Julia Mamaea was a woman of many virtues, and she surrounded the young emperor with wise counsellors, under the administration of the jurist and praetorian praefect Ulpian
Ulpian
Gnaeus Domitius Annius Ulpianus , anglicized as Ulpian, was a Roman jurist of Tyrian ancestry.-Biography:The exact time and place of his birth are unknown, but the period of his literary activity was between AD 211 and 222...
. She watched over the development of her son's character and improved the tone of the administration. On the other hand, she was inordinately jealous. She arranged for Alexander to marry Sallustia Orbiana
Sallustia Orbiana
Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta , also known as Barbia Orbiana, was an Augusta of the Roman Empire and briefly the wife of Emperor Severus Alexander. She was known for her beauty, which was captured in multiple works of art...
, the daughter of a noble Patrician
Patrician
The term patrician originally referred to a group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman Empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire it remained a high honorary title in...
family, but grew so jealous of Sallustia’s influence over her son that she had her banished from court. She also alienated the army by extreme parsimony, and neither she nor her son were strong enough to impose military discipline.
Mutinies became frequent in all parts of the Empire; in Rome, the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
became infuriated by the actions of the praetorian praefect Ulpian
Ulpian
Gnaeus Domitius Annius Ulpianus , anglicized as Ulpian, was a Roman jurist of Tyrian ancestry.-Biography:The exact time and place of his birth are unknown, but the period of his literary activity was between AD 211 and 222...
. A three day riot broke out in Rome between the people and the Praetorians, and it only ended with the death of Ulpian, who was hunted down and killed at the feet of the Emperor. Another mutiny forced the retirement of Cassius Dio from his command. In the provinces of the Empire, in Illyricum
Illyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
, in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, in Armenia
Roman Armenia
From the end of the 1st century BC onwards, Armenia was, in part or whole, subject to the Roman Empire and its successor, the East Roman or Byzantine Empire...
, in Mesopotamia and in Germania
Germania
Germania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
, fresh mutinies perpetually broke out, as his officers were murdered and his authority was disregarded.
Alexander’s reign contained some of the last major building works constructed in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
before the reign of Diocletian. The last of the eleven great aqueducts, the aqua Alexandrina
Aqua Alexandrina
The Aqua Alexandrina was a Roman aqueduct located in the city of Rome.-History:It was constructed in AD 226 as the last of the ancient aqueducts in Rome. The Aqueduct was built under the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus to supply his enlargement of the Thermae of Nero...
, was put into service in 226; he also rebuilt the thermae Neronianae along side the Basilica Alexandrina in the Campus Martius
Campus Martius
The Campus Martius , was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome...
in the following year and gave them his own name.
Persian and German wars
On the whole, however, the reign of Alexander was prosperous until the rise, in the east, of the SassanidsSassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
. Of the war that followed there are various accounts. According to Herodian, the Roman armies suffered a number of humiliating setbacks and defeats, while according to the Historia Augusta as well as Alexander's own dispatch to the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
, he gained great victories. Making Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
his base, he marched at the head of his troops towards Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
, but a second army was destroyed by the Persians, and further losses were incurred by the retreating Romans in Armenia
Roman Armenia
From the end of the 1st century BC onwards, Armenia was, in part or whole, subject to the Roman Empire and its successor, the East Roman or Byzantine Empire...
. Nevertheless, although the Sassanids were checked for the time, the conduct of the Roman army showed an extraordinary lack of discipline. In 232 there was a mutiny in the Syrian legion, who proclaimed Taurinus
Taurinus
Taurinus was a Roman usurper.His was one of only two attempted uprisings against Alexander Severus. In the end he committed suicide and drowned himself in the Euphrates river....
emperor. Alexander managed to suppress the uprising, and Taurinus drowned while attempting to flee across the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
. The emperor returned to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and celebrated a triumph in 233.
The following year he was called to face German invaders in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, who had breached the Rhine frontier in several places, destroying forts and over-running the countryside. Alexander mustered his forces, bringing legions from the eastern provinces, and crossed the Rhine into Germany on a pontoon bridge. Initially on the advice of his mother, he attempted to buy the German tribes off, so as to gain time. Whether this was a wise policy or not, it caused the Roman legionaries to look down on their emperor as one who was prepared to commit unsoldierly conduct. Herodian
Herodian
Herodian or Herodianus of Syria was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus in eight books covering the years 180 to 238. His work is not entirely reliable although his relatively unbiased account of Elagabalus is...
says "in their opinion Alexander showed no honourable intention to pursue the war and preferred a life of ease, when he should have marched out to punish the Germans for their previous insolence". These circumstances drove the army to look for a new leader. They chose Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus
Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax , also known as Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though none are contemporary except Herodian's Roman History. Maximinus was the first emperor never to set foot in Rome...
, a Thracian soldier who had worked his way up through the ranks.
Following the nomination of Maximinus as emperor, Alexander was assassinated (on either March 18 or March 19, 235), together with his mother, in a mutiny of the Legio XXII Primigenia
Legio XXII Primigenia
Legio XXII Primigenia was a Roman legion levied by Roman Emperor Caligula in 39, for his campaigns in Germania. There are still records of the XXII Primigenia in Mogontiacum from the end of 3rd century...
at Moguntiacum
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. These assassinations secured the throne for Maximinus
Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax , also known as Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though none are contemporary except Herodian's Roman History. Maximinus was the first emperor never to set foot in Rome...
The death of Alexander is considered as the end of the Principate system established by Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. Although the Principate continued in theory until the reign of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, Severus Alexander's death signalled the beginning of the chaotic period known as the Crisis of the Third Century
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
which brought the empire to near collapse.
Legacy
In religious matters Alexander preserved an open mind. It is said that he was desirous of erecting a temple to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, but was dissuaded by the pagan priests. He allowed a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
to be built in Rome, and he gave as a gift to this synagogue a scroll of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
known as the Severus Scroll
Severus Scroll
The Severus Scroll was a lost scroll containing the Torah. A very few sentences of it have been preserved by Rabbinic literature....
.
Marriage
Alexander was married three times. His most famous wife was Sallustia OrbianaSallustia Orbiana
Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana Augusta , also known as Barbia Orbiana, was an Augusta of the Roman Empire and briefly the wife of Emperor Severus Alexander. She was known for her beauty, which was captured in multiple works of art...
, Augusta
Augusta (honorific)
Augusta was the imperial honorific title of empresses. It was given to the women of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum and Mater Patriae .The title implied the greatest prestige, with the Augustae able to...
, whom he married in 225. He divorced and exiled her in 227, after her father, Seius Sallustius
Seius Sallustius
Lucius Seius Herennius Sallustius was a Roman usurper in 227. He was a son of Seius and wife Herennia Orbiana , and paternal grandson of Publius Seius Fuscianus....
, was executed after being accused of attempting to assassinate the emperor. Another wife was Sulpicia Memmia. Her father was a man of consular rank; her grandfather's name was Catulus.
External links
- Alexander a site devoted to this emperor
- Severus Alexander on NumisWiki
- Coins of Severus Alexander
Primary Sources
- Cassius Dio, Roman History, Book 80
- HerodianHerodianHerodian or Herodianus of Syria was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus in eight books covering the years 180 to 238. His work is not entirely reliable although his relatively unbiased account of Elagabalus is...
, Roman History, Book 6 - Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander
- Aurelius VictorAurelius VictorSextus Aurelius Victor was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire.Aurelius Victor was the author of a History of Rome from Augustus to Julian , published ca. 361. Julian honoured him and appointed him prefect of Pannonia Secunda...
, Epitome de Caesaribus - Joannes ZonarasJoannes ZonarasIoannes Zonaras was a Byzantine chronicler and theologian, who lived at Constantinople.Under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos he held the offices of head justice and private secretary to the emperor, but after Alexios' death, he retired to the monastery of St Glykeria, where he spent the rest of his...
, Compendium of History extract: Zonaras: Alexander Severus to Diocletian: 222–284 - ZosimusZosimusZosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
, Historia Nova
Secondary Sources
- Southern, Pat. The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine, Routledge, 2001
- Benario, Herbert W., Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-235), De Imperatoribus Romanis (2001)
- Gibbon. Edward Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (1888)